The following points were drafted for a recent brainstorming, building upon and complementing the Digital Single Market (DSM). They are tentative, and not fully formulated, therefore a mere blog post rather than a full OpEd article. One year and a half before the next EU political cycle, and half a year before parties start preparing their election platforms: now is the time for some early wins, and mainly for media policies 2019-2024.

1) Digital Single Market: necessary, but not sufficient
– DSM necessary to erase EU internal barriers
– Main beneficiaries are few giant US ‘platforms’ (avoiding social media terminology)
– Let’s not focus chiefly on DSM, AVMSD, (c): much lobbying, but for most media, not key to recovery
– Anyway, these are mostly horizontal measures: need to add vertical initiatives (beyond broadcasting)

2) Media sector fragmented & shrinking: needs a European strategy
– The media sector had few EU communication-triggered subsidies (phasing out, Euronews is the last one)
– Unlike coal and steel, car, chemistry, IT, little economic approach. Media sector deserves one
– Is press not essential for the preservation of democracy in Europe?
– The media sector is fragmented – ‘left behind’ from ‘1992 single market’, worse than other services
– Deep crisis, shrinking within borders. Few global players: dependency upon Anglo-Saxon press
– Media management – often old journalists: they miss an international vision, technology, revenue models
– This does not facilitate reacting/negotiating with cross-border platforms, unavoidable ‘coo-petitors’

We do not list current legislative initiatives, and also press freedom actions, all essential.
Each EU mandate has at least one ‘general’ expert group on media. Typically on press freedom or media concentration, with limited impact. This mandate has two already, more focused: fake news (coming), and media literacy (in action).

Fondation EURACTIV is a think-and-do-tank dedicated to fostering a healthy media community in Europe, through training programmes, workshops, and projects fostering media's innovation and skills.@FondEURACTIV

About: Media4EU

Fondation EURACTIV aim in particular to:

Support a healthy media sector by fostering a more proactive EU media policy

Support media improving EU policy coverage at a national and local level

Promote media innovation projects for media and related stakeholders

This will, in turn, contribute to a healthy democracy and the emergence of a European public sphere. At its core, it requires innovation for the media sector, which Fondation EURACTIV aims to contribute to by thinking what a strong EU media strategy should look like.
Our activities:

Provide analysis and facilitate a dialogue between media professionals and EU stakeholders, promoting debates and best practices sharing through conferences training programmes and workshops.

Fondation EURACTIV works when relevant with and draws upon the experience of the EURACTIV media network, present in 13 countries and publishing in 13 languages. We share the same origins, values and work in the same offices.

Fondation EURACTIV is led by Stephen Boucher. Until recently, he was CEO of consoGlobe.com, France’s largest online media on sustainable lifestyles. He also currently teaches on matters related to policy innovation, civic tech and political influence.
He was previously director for European policy at the European Climate Foundation (ECF). Before the ECF, he co-directed for four years the Jacques Delors Institute (then called Notre Europe).